目錄Table of Contents
「體驗經濟時代」這本書是我在圖書館偶然間發現的。長期以來，我對許多企業的商業模式和經濟行為感到困惑，尤其是「價格戰」這種策略。企業常藉由提供極低的價格或高額回饋，吸引大量顧客，以此排擠競爭者。但這樣的策略真的有效嗎？畢竟，這樣培養出來的顧客似乎缺乏忠誠度，一旦有更低的價格出現，他們很可能會迅速轉向其他選擇。
I stumbled upon the book The Experience Economy at the library by chance. For a long time, I’ve been puzzled by the business models and economic behaviors of many companies, especially strategies like “price wars.” Companies often attract a large number of customers by offering extremely low prices or significant rewards, aiming to squeeze out competitors. But is this strategy truly effective? After all, the customers cultivated through such tactics seem to lack loyalty—once a lower price appears, they are likely to quickly switch to another option.
傳統經濟的商品化
這本書的作者希望傳達的概念是：「將顧客視為商品，以商品為道具，服務為舞台，讓消費者獲得難忘的體驗，從而使公司獲得更高的利潤和亮眼的表現。」
作者將企業分為不同的階段，根據它們的收費模式進行區分：
- 初級產品企業：對原材料收費。
- 商品企業：對有形產品收費。
- 服務企業：對活動或服務收費。
- 體驗企業：對與顧客相處的時間收費，提供難忘的體驗。
- 轉型企業：對顧客所獲得的成就收費，幫助顧客實現個人或企業轉型。
作者將從商品企業發展到轉型企業的過程稱為「客製化」，而相反的過程則稱為「商品化」。當產品「商品化」後，顧客無法察覺商品間的差異時，價格就成為了最主要的決策因素。
在當今的時代，商品和服務企業推動「商品化」的最大推動力是網際網路。無論是什麼商品或服務，都能通過網路迅速進行即時價格比較，讓消費者從節省的時間和金錢中受益。
對於商品企業來說，線上電商通常在價格上相較於實體店具有競爭優勢。而在服務領域，現在越來越多的趨勢顯示，美國的軟體工程師職缺正在逐漸受到影響，因為全球化和網路技術的發展，這些工作更容易外包或轉移到其他具備價格優勢的地區。
Commoditization in Traditional Economy
The authors of this book aim to convey the concept that companies should view customers as the product, using goods as props and services as the stage to create memorable experiences for consumers. This approach can lead to higher profits and better performance for the company.
The authors classify companies into different stages based on their pricing models:
- Commodities Businesses: Charge for raw materials.
- Goods Businesses: Charge for tangible products.
- Service Businesses: Charge for activities or services.
- Experience Businesses: Charge for the time spent with customers, providing memorable experiences.
- Transformation Businesses: Charge for the achievements customers gain, helping them achieve personal or business transformations.
The process of evolving from a goods business to a transformation business is referred to as “customization,” while the reverse process is called “commoditization.” When products become commoditized and customers can no longer discern differences between them, price becomes the primary decision-making factor.
In today’s era, the biggest driver of “commoditization” for goods and service businesses is the internet. Regardless of the product or service, the internet allows for instant price comparisons, enabling consumers to benefit from the time and money saved.
For goods businesses, online retailers often have a price advantage over brick-and-mortar stores. In the service sector, there is a growing trend showing that software engineering jobs in the U.S. are increasingly impacted. Due to globalization and advancements in internet technology, these jobs are more easily outsourced or moved to regions with a price advantage.
體驗經濟的成功要素
初級商品是自然的，商品是標準化的，服務是客製化的，體驗是個性化的。
消費者在花錢購買體驗時，所得到的快樂和幸福感往往比購買商品來得更多，而且這些體驗通常是令人難忘的。這讓我聯想到網路上常見的一些影片，講述人們撿到猛獸幼崽後將其飼養並最終野放的故事。這些猛獸有時會回來看望曾經養育它們的人，這讓我想到留言區網友提到的「一頓飽」和「頓頓飽」的差異。
在沒有生存壓力時，這些野獸選擇回到人類身邊，不是因為它們需要食物，而是因為它們記得兒時美好的回憶，這是一種特殊的情感連結。類似的，消費者在參與某些體驗時，也會感受到各種情緒，如快樂、恐懼、興奮和期待，這些情感隨之成為個人記憶的一部分，進而使他們更願意為此付費。
體驗的目的在於讓消費者感受到這些多樣的情緒，而這種情緒連結往往比商品本身更能打動人心，從而提升顧客忠誠度。然而，如何衡量體驗的效果，並確保每個環節都能帶來最高的利潤呢？作者提出了以下三個公式作為標準：
- 顧客滿意值 = 顧客期望值 – 顧客體驗值
- 顧客驚喜值 = 顧客感受到的 – 顧客期望得到的
衡量這些要素的關鍵在於設計良好的互動工具，這些工具能幫助顧客迅速找到真正需要的產品和服務，無需多加選擇。這樣的互動不僅滿足了顧客的需求，還建立起了一種新型的「需求鏈」，有別於傳統的供應鏈。
有趣的是，這種大量客製化基於體驗的商業模式，其成本竟然與傳統規模經濟下的大量生產相當。這意味著企業可以在提供高度個性化體驗的同時，保持與大規模生產類似的經濟效益，從而達到更高的競爭優勢。
Key Factors for Success in the Experience Economy
When consumers spend money on experiences, they often derive more happiness and satisfaction than they do from purchasing goods. These experiences tend to be memorable, much like the stories found online of people who rescue and raise wild animal cubs, eventually releasing them back into the wild. Sometimes, these animals return to visit their former caretakers, illustrating a deep emotional bond. This brings to mind the difference between “a meal” and “a lifetime of meals,” as noted by some commenters.
In the absence of survival pressure, these wild animals return not because they need food, but because they remember the positive experiences of their childhood. This represents a special emotional connection. Similarly, when consumers engage in certain experiences, they may feel a range of emotions—happiness, fear, excitement, and anticipation. These emotions become part of their personal memories, making them more willing to pay for such experiences.
The goal of an experience is to evoke these diverse emotions in consumers. This emotional connection often resonates more deeply than the product itself, thereby enhancing customer loyalty. However, how can companies measure the effectiveness of these experiences and ensure that every aspect contributes to maximizing profits? The authors suggest the following three formulas as benchmarks:
- Customer Satisfaction Value = Customer Expectation Value – Customer Experience Value
- Customer Surprise Value = What Customers Feel – What Customers Expect to Receive
The key to measuring these elements lies in designing well-crafted interactive tools that help customers quickly find the products and services they truly need, without requiring extensive choices. Such interactions not only satisfy customer needs but also create a new “demand chain,” distinct from the traditional supply chain.
Interestingly, the cost of this mass customization business model is comparable to the traditional economies of scale found in mass production. This means that companies can offer highly personalized experiences while maintaining economic efficiency similar to large-scale production, thus achieving a higher competitive advantage.
體驗經濟-台灣的產業升級之路
毫無疑問，台灣在商品化階段是全球供應鏈中的大贏家，尤其在硬體製造業中扮演著重要角色。然而，如果仔細檢視台灣上市科技公司的財報，會發現它們的毛利率往往只有3-4%，因此被戲稱為「茅山道士」毛利率。這是因為在供應鏈上游決定了產品規格後，代工廠之間便開始了激烈的價格競爭。在這種情境下，代工產業能夠用來對抗競爭者的，往往就是更低的報價，也就是拼成本控制能力。
這種以低成本和高效率為核心的商業模式，加上台灣勞工的勤奮工作，一直是台灣企業盈利的黃金模式。但如果台灣企業想要轉型為像蘋果這樣的品牌廠商，就需要提升產品的使用體驗。良好的體驗讓消費者願意支付更高的價格購買產品。
在這本書中，作者提出了「顧客犧牲」的概念：
- 顧客犧牲值 = 顧客真正期望得到的 – 顧客勉強接受的
企業可以通過有計劃地消除顧客犧牲，來提高顧客使用產品或服務的體驗，彌補缺乏大量生產的不足。然而，這一直是台灣公司的弱項。我們不擅長打造B2C的商業模式，台灣的成功企業大多以B2B模式盈利。許多台灣人仍然沿用傳統的經營法則，認為只要把一個小零件做到極致，並且控制好成本，就可以賺錢。然而，這種思維在體驗經濟時代，缺乏適當的土壤來支持。
這種思維慣性可以追溯到學生時代。台灣的教育體系沿用了過去的思維，培養出來的優秀學生多數投身於工廠和製造業，導致國家GDP、經濟成長率與股市都持續上升，似乎證明了這套體制的成功。因此，標準化、商品化的風氣從製造業蔓延到整個社會。例如在老街、夜市和自然景點，由於顧客難以辨別商品和服務的差異，最終只能選擇以低價格換取低價值的體驗，付出了高昂的顧客犧牲成本。
在體驗經濟時代，台灣的轉型之路成為了一個關鍵問題。顧客滿意值與顧客驚喜值將成為衡量成功的指標。然而，台灣傳統的製造模式和以價格競爭為主的商業思維，可能在追求顧客體驗方面面臨挑戰。隨著AI時代的到來，這種傳統的成功模式是否能夠持續奏效，仍然充滿未知數。
Experience Economy: Taiwan’s Path to Industry Upgrading
Undoubtedly, Taiwan has been a major winner in the global supply chain during the commoditization stage, especially in the hardware manufacturing sector. However, if we carefully examine the financial reports of publicly listed Taiwanese tech companies, we find that their gross profit margins are often only 3-4%, earning them the nickname “Mao Shan Taoist” margins (a pun on the low margins). This is because once product specifications are determined upstream in the supply chain, contract manufacturers engage in fierce price competition. In this scenario, the primary way for the manufacturing industry to combat competitors is by offering lower bids, essentially competing on cost control.
This business model, which revolves around low costs and high efficiency, combined with the diligent work ethic of Taiwanese labor, has been a golden formula for profitability for Taiwanese companies. However, if Taiwanese companies want to transform into branded companies like Apple, they need to enhance the user experience of their products. A superior experience makes consumers willing to pay a higher price for the products.
In the book, the author introduces the concept of “customer sacrifice”:
Customer Sacrifice Value = What the Customer Truly Desires – What the Customer Settles For
Companies can strategically reduce customer sacrifice to improve the customer experience with their products or services, compensating for the lack of mass production. However, this has always been a weak point for Taiwanese companies. We are not adept at developing B2C business models, as most successful Taiwanese companies have thrived on a B2B model. Many Taiwanese people still adhere to traditional business principles, believing that focusing on perfecting a small component and controlling costs is enough to make a profit. However, in the experience economy, this mindset lacks the proper foundation for success.
This inertia in thinking can be traced back to the educational system. Taiwan’s education system, rooted in past paradigms, has produced students who excel in factory work and manufacturing, leading to the continuous rise of the nation’s GDP, economic growth rate, and stock market, seemingly validating this system’s success. As a result, the culture of standardization and commoditization has spread from manufacturing to the broader society. For example, in old streets, night markets, and natural attractions, because consumers struggle to discern differences between products and services, they ultimately opt for lower prices at the cost of lower value experiences, leading to high customer sacrifice costs.
In the experience economy era, Taiwan’s path to transformation becomes a critical issue. Customer satisfaction and customer surprise will become key indicators of success. However, Taiwan’s traditional manufacturing model and price-focused business thinking may face challenges in pursuing customer experience. With the advent of the AI era, whether this traditional model of success can continue remains to be seen.